Christmas 2018

After all the parties, plays and performances, we were finally able to settle in for a (relatively) quiet Christmas celebration. We attended Meeting on Sunday where First Day School performed its Christmas pageant with Nora as Joseph and Owen as stage crew (he's wanted to play a wise man but the kings were omitted from this version and narrator was already taken). Afterwards, we dropped the kids off at their Grandmother's (so that Nora could help make the Christmas cake) and Aunt's (so that Owen could play with Lee) while Allen and I began preparing the Christmas Eve dinner in earnest.

The next day everyone convened at our place for some Mexican mole enchiladas and some sanctioned, albeit limited gift opening. The kids lobbied to sleep on the couch in order to end the Santa debate once and for all, but were sent to their rooms protesting so that the magic could happen.

After a morning of opening presents and eating pancakes on some slightly morbid Christmas dishes, we headed up to Mom Mom and Grandpa Don's for even more presents, family, friends, a feast and a sleepover. A very merry Christmas was had by all.

(To see all the pictures, please click here.)

Most if not All Aboard!

We weren't sure that out annual outing to the Botanic Gardens was going to happen this year, as the initial email we received from them described some alternative programming which coincided with Owen's DCYO concert and was decidedly not an evening holiday train viewing party (nothing against making terrarium ornaments, but that is not why we joined Friends & Family of the Botanic Gardens). But the programming options were eventually clarified, and while in the end Grandpa, Mom Mom and Grandpa Don all decided that they were maxed out on holiday celebrations for the day, we were able to meet up with the Romans and enjoy plant-based recreations of iconic train stations from across the United States... and  cocktails.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Dueling Concerts

We were so close to having Owen & Nora's DC Youth Orchestra winter concerts converging into a single event. Alas, at the last minute DCYOP decided to hold Nora's concert six days prior to Owen's at a different venue in another ward. And while that may imply we should have two separate posts for each unique event, we decided to merge them into one if, not as god intended, then at least we as parents with packed December schedules had hoped.

Nora, currently first viola in Sinfonia D, got to debut her glasses while playing Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Mozart's Serenade and Dance. They were all really nervous beforehand, but did a pretty amazing job and I think even Nora was surprised by how good they sounded.



Owen, now second cello in the Young Artists Orchestra, was finally sitting where he was actually visible during a performance. Joined by his friend Gabriel, they played Gluck's Overture in D Major and Prokofiev's Troika. Later in the program, they combined the Repertory and Young Artists Orchestras to perform Tchaikovsky's Two Dances from the Nutcracker which was a festive way to end the concert and DCYOP's season.

Nora's Recital

Nora's third viola recital, this time with piano accompaniment! We all thought she did great, but according to Nora, Gavotte sounded much better when she played it for her audition to move up to the Young Artists Orchestra.

Beast of Burden

In September, the Stuart-Hobson drama department announced that they would be staging Beauty and the Beast for its fall musical and Owen announced that he wouldn't be acting in a Disney-based play. Knowing how much he regretted not performing in the spring's, Alice in Wonderland, we urged Owen to change his mind, but instead Owen, for the second time, ran the sound board for all four performances (while singing along to every musical number).

It was a pretty impressive staging with especially strong performances from the seventh grade class, which was particularly touching since we've known Belle (Alice), Gaston (Hayden) and LeFou (Adam) since pre-K, plus Lumiere (Patrick) and Cogsworth (Han) since third grade (we've also known the Beast (Owen B) since daycare, but he's only a sixth grader). Like so many middle-school productions, it wasn't entirely clear if they would pull it off (I think even Ms. Purgason was worried as tweens are not the most dependable demographic), but they all worked really hard and in the end it really was an amazing show.

And hopefully, the performance convinced Owen to emerge from the shadows of crew and back into the bright light of the stage, regardless of its origins.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Glasses!

Sometimes when you're too close to something you just can't see it. In our case, we were a bit too hyperopic to notice Nora's myopia. Nora never said things were blurry or hard to see, and her squinting always just blended in with Nora's myriad of funny facial expressions. But one well timed remark can snap everything into focus. Jacqui was visiting this weekend, and after the girls came home from High Tea, she saw Nora squinting, and asked if Nora needs glasses. All of the sudden we saw Nora's squints in a whole new light, and a quick quiz about reading a few things across the room made it crystal clear that Nora is nearsighted. Elaine sprang to action, and set up an eye doctor appointment the next day, and by Wednesday Nora was sporting a brand new pair of pink and rainbow glasses.

For her part, Nora couldn't be more excited about this development. She was so excited the first night we told her that she might need glasses that she couldn't fall asleep. When she got her glasses on Wednesday, it was like Christmas came early. A cool fashion accessory that gives her the super power of crystal clear vision, what could be better! I could try to keep describing her enthusiasm, but it's probably best to just watch the video below and let Nora put it in her own words :-)

Tea Party

For the third year in a row, Jacqui invited Nora and I to a holiday tea at the Ritz Carlton (this year Allen was even in town, but uninvited). Having been fully initiated into the ritual, Nora has now mastered ordering, pouring and keeping herself occupied while the adults continue to talk endlessly (especially when she only has a few chapters left of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).



We were all very lady-like, had a lovely time and are already planning next year's outing.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)